Only in Texas: Dust Art

A couple of weeks ago, I made the profoundly silly decision to take our 2-year-old to the Fort Worth Zoo. Don't get me wrong; it is a stunningly well designed environment (especially the monkey house!). But the day we attended, the temperatures hit 106 degrees. Because of low attendance, the zoo decided not to open any ice cream stands. Let's say that it was a viscous cycle, with parents and children melting down.

Which led me to wonder aloud: what do people do in Texas in the summertime! Nellie Durand passed this along, original article in the Austin Statesman.

When the dust gets thick on the back window of his Mini Cooper, Scott Wade uses it as a canvas to create temporary works of art. Among his creations was a copy of C.M. Coolidge's 'A Friend in Need,' better known as dogs playing poker; an homage to Vincent Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' and Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa.'

Wade lives off the unpaved Roadrunner Road north of San Marcos, which dusts the back windows of his car and gives him the canvases to create his own works of art. A portrait of Kinky Friedman on the back of the Mazda driven by Wade's wife, Robin Wood, was featured on the gubernatorial candidate's Web site.

A collage of wildlife decorates the Mini Cooper's window. Wade's creations attract admirers wherever he goes. Who needs a frost-covered window when you've got road dust to create a Christmas scene? Local columinist John Kelso was the subject of one window portrait. Besides his finger, Wade uses traditional art tools, such as paintbrushes, and unconventional ones, like a chewed popsicle stick, to make his drawings. Wade takes pride in his creations, but he knows that with one good shower, his work will just wash away.